Turkey and Japan Tighten Screws on Washington over NSA Spying

Turkey and Japan have joined other countries in tightening the screws on Washington over the latest NSA leaks which suggested that the American agency extensively spied on its allies.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu demanded an "explanation" when he met US Secretary of State John Kerry.

"I expressed to him [Kerry] that we demand an explanation related to the bugging scandal. Kerry told me that they had limited information on the issue but they will share the data with us after they complete the necessary work," Davutoglu told reporters on the sidelines of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) meeting in Brunei.

It was earlier reported that Turkey was likely to show "required reaction" to the US if the latest set of revelations turned out to be true.

"In principle, we think that such incidents shouldn't happen between allies like the United States, Turkey or the EU. We will evaluate the situation after we get the explanation and information from the US, however, we shared the situation with Kerry in a friendly way," added Davutoglu, according to the Turkey-based Anadolu news agency.

Tokyo has also insisted that Japan will "strongly demand" a clarification over the alleged spying. Tokyo said complaints will be lodged through diplomatic channels over the matter.

"We are aware of the report, but it's not clear (whether) what was reported was true. First we will demand the truth through diplomatic channels," said Tokyo's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, adding that the country has "concerns" over the situation.

Meanwhile, the NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, the source behind the leaks, continues to be in limbo over his asylum status.